Magnetic
by karralyka
Summary: After Chuck and Blair break up for the final time, she needs a little help to get back on her feet. Dan answers his phone.
1. Chapter 1

Her phone vibrated at 10:00AM on the dot, as it had routinely for the last two weeks, and she rolled over to glare at it, as she had routinely for the last two weeks. _You have one new message from Serena_. Her best friend was so predictable.

_Hey B -  
Did you want to grab breakfast with us today?  
We'd love to see you!  
- S and Nate_

Blair rolled her eyes with dry amusement, wondering if Serena and Nate knew how quickly they had become a 'we', or if they were aware how disgustingly affectionate they were.  
At the beginning she had found it strange how quickly she had adapted to her ex-boyfriend (the one she'd planned to marry) dating her best-friend (the one she'd always been jealous of) and how well she'd taken it. It was almost as if she'd seen in coming. Nate and Serena had always been inevitable. Magnetic.

That single word made her chest tighten and her eyes sting. She sat up and clenched herself in a ball, closing her eyes in acceptance, almost welcoming the familiar chill that ran though her body, from head to toe. It had been so long since she had felt this helpless, and she knew what was coming next. She stood up slowly, the rational voice in her head screaming at her to lie back down drowned out by the sound of her frenzied heart beat echoing in her ears. Adrenaline rushed through her as she emptied her stomach, feeling more alive then she had in a long time.

Only when she was lying on her bathroom floor, her cheek pressed to the cool tiles and unshed tears collecting in her eyes, was she calm enough to accept what she had known all along. Magnetic wasn't a word used to describe her and Chuck, no matter what he told her. It was an adjective for Serena and Nate.

She stood up shakily, tears blurring her vision, and made her way slowly back to her phone.  
It wasn't until she was staring at the name _Serena_ in her contact list that she realised she couldn't call her best-friend. She couldn't burden her while she was so happy with Nate. She couldn't ruin that. She scrolled upwards to find Chuck, tears now falling freely onto her phone, and stopped to wipe her eyes and the screen. When she saw which contact she had stopped directly on, she laughed almost hysterically out loud. _Dan Humphrey._

Her heart sank as she realised that the only other person aside from Chuck and Nate ('So much for the non-judgemental breakfast club', she thought cynically) that knew about her problem was Serena's ex-boyfriend from Brooklyn, and she pressed the green call button on her phone quickly, letting out a sob at the first ring.

–

"Waldorf?" He picked up almost straight away, and she tried to pull herself together quickly, blushing as she realised how obvious it was that she was sobbing.

"Humphrey, can.." She started crying openly again, realising she didn't even know what she wanted from him. What could a boy from Brooklyn do to help?

"Blair?" He sounded worried now, "Blair, what's wrong?" She had to give him points for skipping the age-old cliché of asking if she was okay.

"What isn't?" She answered hysterically, "I don't even know why I called you, but you're the only one left that.. I'm so alone - I did it again. I didn't mean to. It just happened." She broke off, praying silently that he would catch on.

"You did what – Oh! Oh.. Are you at home right now?" She nodded, hiccuping, and he took her silence as a yes.

"Okay, Blair, you wait right where you are, okay?" She nodded again, her heart beat slowing as her panic eased. "You're going to be alright, okay?" He stayed on the line until he heard her murmur of agreement, before kissing Vanessa on the forehead, a sign she had learnt to recognise as 'Got to go – sorry'.

"You're kidding me," he looked up in confusion, in the process of hastily pulling on his jeans. "You're leaving because Blair Waldorf - ", Dan had to wince at the vindictiveness in his girlfriends' voice, " - called you?"

"You don't understand," he said, wrapping his scarf – a gift from Lily – around his neck, " - if she called me, it means she needs me. She wouldn't do it unless it was an emergency"

"But I need you," Vanessa pouted, and Dan laughed.

He pecked her quickly before jogging out her dorm-room door, forgetting to close it in his haste.

"Bye.. " She murmured, starting as her phone vibrated loudly on her wooden bedside table.

_You have one new message from Scott._

–

With no sign of Dorota, Dan walking slowly up the marble steps, trying to catch his breath. No matter how much Blair needed him right now, he couldn't let her see that he had practically sprinted across town just to see her. She would never let him forget it or live it down.

After walking into a few empty bedrooms, he knocked on her door (the golden lettering – which Dan suspected were probably dipped in real gold – spelling out 'Blair' gave it away), and let himself in.

He swore quietly underneath his breath, as the girl (was that even Blair?) turned around to look at him. Dressed in nothing but a navy blue shirt – which Dan just knew had been Chuck's – she looked even more fragile and waif-like then usual. Her hair was uncombed and knotted, and her dark eyes looked lifeless. She looked like one of the murder victims from C.S.I that had given Dan nightmares when he was a kid.

"Hey Waldolf.." he offered, speaking to her as if he was speaking to a scared kitten (the metaphor wasn't too bad, he thought).

"Hey Humphrey"

He went and sat next to her, at a loss as to how to comfort her. How do you comfort someone who hates you? He wrapped his arm around her awkwardly, relieved that she didn't shrug it off. He doubted that she could even feel it.

"Do you want something to eat?"

"No"

"What about to drink?"

"No"

He paused, unsure how to continue. "How about we get you cleaned up? I'm sure you'll feel better after a hot shower."  
She scoffed, but without waiting for an answer, he stood up, somehow knowing that she would follow him, and walked her to the bathroom. With his arm around her as she walked he was able to really feel how skeletal her back and body was, and he winced at the feeling of her backbone against his arm.

He sat her on the bath before turning on the shower, adjusting it until it was the right temperature. "Okay, why don't you jump in the shower and I'll go get you something to drink?" He turned to leave, before starting as she grabbed his jacket.

"Don't go. Please" Maybe it was the poet inside him, but Dan thought he felt his heart break along with her voice.

"Okay, what about I'll be right outside. You can call me if you need me?"

She nodded in acceptance and Dan left her, a little nervous that something would happen to her, even though he would be in the next room. He sat with his back to the door, and knocked his head against it silently. He felt so helpless. He didn't even know why Blair had called him. It was like Jenny calling Blair for help. It just didn't happen. Jenny would never do that. He paused. No, Jenny would never do that.. unless she had no one left.

He looked around the large room with new eyes, the vast carpet suddenly making him feel strangely claustrophobic. Surely it wasn't healthy for one person to live alone (excluding Dorota) in an apartment this large. No wonder she was lonely.  
He heard the shower stop, and looked at his watch. She'd only been in there for 10 minutes?

He knocked on the door. "Blair?" and was a little surprised at how relieved he was when she opened it. She was wearing a large white towel that swamped her small frame and Dan couldn't help but stare at her jutting collar bones and bony shoulders. He didn't even know shoulders could get that angular.

"Done," she smiled lifelessly and went to sat back down on the end of the bed. Dan watched her walk helplessly. What would he do if Jenny was acting like this? He looked around the room for something to do, and grabbed a comb from the nearby dresser in desperation. Jenny used to force him to brush her hair, right? He sat behind her and started at the tips, like Jenny had taught him to.  
He was relieved when she didn't scream at him and instead slumped her shoulders. Did this mean she was relaxing? They sat like that for Dan-didn't-know-how-long, until her hair was back to its former Queen-Bee glory, and Dan looked around her room again, as if coming out of a daze.

"Ok, now let's get you changed into something comfortable!" He said, trying to muster some false-energy into his voice, wincing at how false he sounded.  
Blair looked up at him with one eyebrow raised, looking much like her former self. "This should be interesting, Dan Humphrey dressing me." She smirked, some life returning to her cheeks as she did so.

"Well I'm curious to see the most casual thing Blair Waldorf has in her cupboard," Dan teased back  
"A cocktail dress, I'm guessing?"

Blair opened her mouth in protest, before she saw that Dan's shoulders were shaking. "Chill Waldorf, I'm just kidding."

"Well, you're close," she muttered, a real smile itching her lips. Luckily Dan had already turned around into her closet by then. God, what if he thought he'd made her laugh. She'd never hear the end of it!

Dan rummaged through her walk-in closet, he fingers hastily pushing aside the thousand-dollar silks until he found a single pair of dark-blue jeans folded neatly at the back, with their price tag still attached. His eyes widened as he took in all the zeros, and stared at the pants in disbelief.

Even though his dad was now married to Lily Bass and they were exposed to new heights of luxury every day, he still wasn't used to seeing ordinary clothes with price tags like that on them. He ripped the tag off hastily and walked further into the closet until he found a drawer of tank-tops – tank-tops! - and a pile of cardigans. He grabbed a white top and the largest, thickest cardigan he could find – a woollen mustard coloured one – and walked back out to Blair.

"Here, change into these." Blair observed his selection dubiously.

"I own tank-tops? Are you sure?" He laughed

"Yeah, a whole drawer."

"Wow," she murmured under her breathe and walked into the bathroom to change. Dan took the opportunity to grabbed a rare pair of flat black shoes from her shoe-rack and looked around her bedroom again. It was typically Blair, but he was used to Blair typically acting like Queen-Bee, so he couldn't be sure if her room was just a facade too. He wondered if she ever got sick of her room being so perfect. Or if she ever got sick of being perfect.

He looked up as the door opened and grinned despite himself. He knew that he shouldn't be enjoying himself when she was in so much pain, but it was kind of awesome seeing Blair Waldorf dressed in jeans and a tank-top. He admitted that the whole outfit suited her quite well, but he doubted if there was anything she couldn't pull off.

"Feel better?"

"Apart from the fact that I'm wearing denim and cotton, yeah. Thanks."

"Here," he said throwing one shoe at a time at her, "Catch"

She did so, with surprising ease. "Why do I need shoes? Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he said smiling.

"Well I can't. It's too cold."

"Don't you own any scarves?" He asked incredulously

"Yeah.." she said slowly, "But they're made out of silk. And more for summer."

Dan laughed out loud. Trust Blair Waldorf to own everything under the sun but a scarf.

"Here," he walked towards her, unraveling his own thick black scarf and wrapping it around her neck securely before she could complain. "You can borrow mine." He stuffed his beanie on her head too, laughing again as she let out a squeak of protest.

"Who would have thought. Blair Waldorf is adorable." He ruffled her now wool-covered head and smiled down at her, surprised at how much she was making him laugh.

"Won't you be cold?" He voice was muffled by his scarf.

"Ahhh, I'll be okay."

"Follow me," she said quietly and he did so obediently at they walked through her apartment until Dan lost track of were they were. He'd always known that Blair's home was largest then most apartments in New York, but this was ridiculous.

"You can borrow one of Daddy's," she thrust a brown scarf, thicker then his own at him and he blinked.

"Don't you want to wear it?"

"It's okay. It doesn't go with my outfit," she said playfully, her eyes glinting with amusement as Dan laughed again.

"Okay then, let's go."

–

They were down in the lobby of Blair's building when Dan felt her freeze. He quickly looked around for any signs of Chuck, but finding none quickly asked her: "What's wrong?"

She sighed quietly, "I haven't really been outside since.. "

"Oh. Well, I'm right with you, and you'll be fine." He smiled down at her until she nodded once, like a child trying to be brave and he pulled up her scarf so that everything but her eyes were covered.

"No one but me would recognise you now anyway."

Her eyes welled up with tears that surprised herself, and she blinked them away before he could see. She wasn't used to people being this nice to her, and she breathed in through her nose to calm herself, pleasantly surprised with how nice it smelt. Chuck's shirt had smelt like his cologne, but Dan's scarf just smelt like Dan. It was strangely intimate. No cologne masking up his real smell. 'No lies,' she thought briefly, as they walked into a small cafe.

She let Dan order for her, allowing herself to again be pleasantly surprised by him (he kept doing that to her) when he ordered her a Chai Latte, something she had always ordered before she became obsessed with calories and her weight. She had forgotten how good it tasted.

"Good?" he asked worriedly, and she nodded at him, smiling.

"So where are we going?"

"My place,"

"Brooklyn?" he nodded, waiting for inevitable insults.

"Okay,"

Dan stared at her drinking silently in amazement. Was this even Blair Waldorf? What had Chuck done to her?

"We're catching a cab though," she reminded him, and he laughed loudly, relieved that there was still some of the old-Blair left.

–

"Cute place, Humphrey," was the first thing Blair said as she walked into the loft, a little startled at how honestly she had meant that. It was... cozy, she decided. The exposed brick walls were something that would never work in Manhattan, but with all the natural light flooding through the large windows, it seemed it worked nicely in Brooklyn.

"Thanks," he smiled. "Do you want something else to drink?"

"English Breakfast?"

"Coming right up. What about anything else to eat?" She laughed loudly and he looked up, a little alarmed at the new sound.

"Don't worry Humphrey, I'm not going to fade away to nothing."

He blushed. "Hey, it was a perfectly innocent question,"

She smiled as she pulled off his hat and scarf, her neck feeling exposed all of a sudden.

"Fine. Whatever you're having would be great?"

"Did you want to give me a hand then?"

She started. "Um, I don't really know how to cook?"

"That's okay, I can teach you."

–

They sat down at the kitchen bar eating their ramen noodles in silence.

"Hey, these are really good!"

"And you made them," he offered teasingly

"Yes I did!" She said proudly until he realised that he was making fun of her. "Hey, adding the perfect amount of hot water is an art."

"Yes it is, and you've mastered it,"

"Oh shut up, Humphrey"

–

They were sitting on the couch watching one of his documentaries on Audrey Hepburn drinking their fourth cup of tea and Blair was growing more and more sleepy.

"Humphrey, this was really fun, thanks."

"No problem."

"But I should go,"

He looked up down at her sitting on the carpet, staring determinedly at the screen God, he couldn't send her back to that massive apartment. It wasn't somewhere for a person as fragile as Blair to sleep.

"Nah," he said, "You can stay here,"

She looked at him: "What?"

"You had fun today, right?"

"Don't make me say I did Humphrey,"

They laughed. "I think you should stay here. Until you're better."

"What?" now she sounded scared. "I barely know you!"

"And all I know about you is that you're not yourself. You know that I'm not going to hurt you. You know you need to get away from the Upper East Side."

"I don't have any of my clothes here,"

"I don't think you'll be wearing any cocktail dresses in Brooklyn."

"Shut up!" They laughed again, before resting in a comfortable silence.

–

"Where am I sleeping?"

"Uh, you can have Jen's room, or my dads? I'm the only one who really lives here full time, so.."

"Don't you get lonely?"

"Don't you?" he shot back at her

"I'll take Jenny's," she changed the subject abruptly, relieved when Dan didn't push it. That was one of the things she liked about him – he knew when to drop it.

–

Later on, after she had brushed her teeth with a spare tooth brush, only slightly nauseous that it wasn't electric, and dressed in a pair of Dan's flannel pyjamas (because Jenny's were too short), she lay in bed, strangely comfortable on a single mattress.

"Okay, g'night," She looked up at Dan from her pillow and smiled at him softly.

"Night,"

She watched as he closed the garage door between their two rooms, darkness slowly covering her face, until the only light illuminating the room was from the street below. Her breathing increased as her feeling of loneliness increased. "Dan's right on the other side, Dan's right on the other side," she whispered to herself. God, she couldn't make herself throw up two times in a day. That was practically a relapse. Along with the feeling of loneliness came thoughts of Chuck, and she wrapped the pillow around her head childishly, as if to protect herself from them. After what seemed like hours of self-torture, Blair sat up, just as she had this morning, the same voice telling her to sit down. She could feel the bile rising in her throat and she let out a cry, leaping out of bed and pacing her room. No, she shouldn't. No, she couldn't.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Dan opening the garage door, looking around worriedly.  
"Sorry, Blair, I thought I heard something?"

She had never been so relieved to see Dan Humphrey in her life. She practically threw herself at him from where she was standing, and he stumbled back, thrown that Blair Waldorf was hugging him so tightly.

"Stop me," she sobbed into his shirt.

"Stop you doing what?"

"Stop me from doing it again."

They hadn't talked about anything serious yet, and her bulimia definitely hadn't come up. Dan hadn't really been expecting that come out of her mouth, but he managed to carry/lead her to his bed, where he sat her down, and wrapped his arm around her again. The contrast between this morning, when she hadn't noticed his arm, and now, where she was clinging to his chest as if he was a lifeline was astounding, and he felt his own eyes stinging.

"I won't let you," he said fiercely and she buried her head closer to his chest.

"It started when I was 14," she begun softly, "My mum and dad were fighting, but not really. They never fought. Mum would try and fight at him, but he would just ignore her, or ignore whatever she was yelling about. I was at the age where all girls worry about their weight, so I was already not eating much. And I was sitting in my bedroom, listening to them fight, and I didn't even notice that I was eating a huge block of chocolate, and then the next thing I remember I had thrown up into my toilet, and it had felt so good. But the chocolate had tasted so good. And then I realised I could have both, and it made me feel so powerful – so in control. My parents found out a year later, but it was already too late. They took me to a psychiatrist, a therapist, everything. And I got better. Sort of. I stopped throwing up. And then Serena left, and so did my dad, and my world just fell apart. I started doing it again. Mum found out and took me back, and then I really did stop. I was so much better. And even when Serena came back, and I found out about her and Nate, and I thought I was going to die, I didn't. It wasn't until later on, Nate was talking to me about it, and my heart started beating so fast, and I felt so horrible, and I just wanted to feel better, so I did it once more. After I do it, I feel so... alive. You feel so beautiful. And that was the first time I did it without thinking. It was scary how much of a reflex it had been. I didn't want to accept that I didn't have control over it anymore, so I pretended it had never happened. And then Nate and I broke up, for good, and I knew it was going to happened again, so I went out with Chuck. I slept with Chuck. It was like the same as making myself throw up. I figured it was a healthier substitute. And then everything happened, and I didn't make myself throw up once. I knew I could deal with worse. And then, when Chuck lost his hotel, I knew I had to do something. He had helped me so much without even realising it. I would have done whatever he asked me to, but instead of talking to me about it.. he swapped me. Me for the hotel. Jack got me, and he got the hotel. And that's when I realised I didn't control Chuck. I couldn't control anything, but myself. And then it happened again this morning, when I realised Chuck didn't love me – never had, never would – and my heart just started beating so fast. And I had to." She broke off crying, breathing heavily.

Dan sat helpless. Chuck had done what? What type of person even does that? He knew that it happened in movies, but.. his head pounded with anger for the person who had turned Blair into.. this and kissed her head reassuringly.

"Blair, you're so strong. You're the bravest, most loving person I know. That's why I know that you're going to get through this."

"I can't. I'm not" She sobbed

"You're Blair Waldorf. You can get through anything. And I'm Dan Humphrey. And I'll help you get through anything, until you tell me to leave."

They sat in silence until Blair's sobs turned into sniffles and she cried herself to sleep. Dan lay her down and stared down at her. He would have never imagined that morning that Blair Waldorf would be sleeping in his bed, let alone crying in front of him. He covered her with his duvet and kissed her forehead once more.

"Sleep dreams, Waldorf," 


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning her phone woke her up, just as it had yesterday, but today she ignored it. She got up and climbed out of Dan's bed, wondering for a second where he was, and walked into Jenny's room, pulling down the garage door (garage door! Inside!) as is she had been doing so all her life.  
She liked this loft, she decided, as she rummaged through the youngest Humphrey's drawers from her previous life, before she became queen, grabbing a bra and a white tank-top (she rather liked tank-tops, she decided), pleased that Jenny was as skinny as she was – that made everything so much more convenient. She passed over the track-pants with a scrunch of her nose – no thanks – until she found a pair of dark blue jeans, not unlike the ones she wore yesterday. With a glance out the large, black-rimmed window, she noted that it was a warmer-than-usual winter day, and grabbed a thinner red cardigan. Pulling on a pair of flat, black boots, still adjusting to walking without a heel, she walked back into Dan's room, grabbed her phone and made her way into the kitchen/living room, treading softly on the hard floor.

She smiled happily when she saw Dan sleeping on the couch, still a little shaken that she had basically told him more then she told her therapist over, and pleased with how her ramen noodles turned out, decided to make him breakfast. 15 minutes, and a two pieces of blackened-toast-in-the-bin later, Blair gave up and returned to her culinary roots – ramen noodles and tea.

Dan was woken by the slamming of the fridge, and bolted upright on the couch.

"Blair?"

"Morning," she smiled at him awkwardly, "I made breakfast!"

He smiled back at her, amused at how bed-hair looked on her, and at the breakfast bar.

"Either I forgot to do the dishes yesterday, or I'm having ramen noodles for breakfast." he laughed

"Is that okay?" she said nervously, as if she'd never considered that maybe breakfast was a bit early for ramen noodles, and he bit his lip to stop himself laughing again.

"Yes, it's perfect. Thanks,"

She'd already finished her bowl, but sipped her tea delicately – she'd had had years of training at doing that – watching him eat. They both started when her phone vibrated again, reminding her that she had a message, and she groaned.

"Who is it?" he asked curiously

"Serena and Nate,"

"They have a joint number now?" he laughed, only slightly surprised

She laughed too, "Almost"

_Hey B -  
Where are you? We went past your place this morning but you weren't in?  
Are you okay?  
- S and N_

Blair groaned again. Now she'd have to text them back, something she'd been avoiding. She was suddenly ten times more relieved that she had stayed the night at Dan's, glad that she'd escaped the 'Serena/Nate therapy session'.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. Serena and Nate just went past my place this morning and now they want to know where I am."

He grabbed her phone, despite her protests and quickly typed a message, laughing at she tried to grab it from him ("Give it back Humphrey! Give it back!")

"What did you send!" she exclaimed

"That you were staying at a friends house for a while and didn't know when you'd be back," he smiled at her as she fell silent, realising that what he said was true. Dan Humphrey was her friend. Wow.

"Well, _friend,"_ she emphasised, "What have you got planned for us today?"

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Well, I've never been to Brooklyn. So it's all up to you."

He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she suddenly felt very nervous.

"Well what about we begin your vacation in Brooklyn with a walking tour?"

–

Rugged up again in Dan's scarf and beanie – he didn't even complain when she put them on without asking – so that no one would recognise them, Blair walked bravely down a cobblestone, tree-lined street.

"So where are we going now?" They'd already visited the best coffee shop in Brooklyn (according to Dan), the best book shop in Brooklyn (according to the New York Times) and the best art museum (according to Vanessa, according to Dan).

"This one is a surprise," he winked at her over his shoulder, and if Blair didn't know better, she would have said her heart had skipped a beat. But she did know better, and it was just because she had tripped on an uneven cobblestone.

"No! Tell me! And walk slower!" she grabbed his hand and he looked down. "Oh, sorry," she quickly let go.

"No, it's okay. If it makes you walk any faster!" he grabbed her hand again and this time she couldn't deny the fact that her heard thumped a little faster when he did so.

"Okay, we're here!" his voice broke her out of her thoughts, and she looked up.

"Um. Dan."

"Yes Blair?" she could here the amusement in his voice

"You're surprise is a run-down cinema?"

"Don't sound so disgusted Blair," he laughed, "You haven't seen inside yet,"

"And I won't. Ever."

"Hey," he interrupted her pointing over her shoulder, "Isn't that Lauren Conrad?"

She turned around: "Where? Wow, Lauren Conrad in Brooklyn - Ahh!"

She screamed as Dan picked her up (he didn't want to think about how easy it had been to pick her up when he wasn't the most athletic guy in the world), threw her over his shoulder and walked them into the cinema.

"Don't you dare Dan Humphrey!" she screamed, laughing as she thumped his back with her fists. "Put me down!"

"Okay," he grinned as he carefully placed her back on the ground. "Look around."

She did, before she could help herself, and she sucked in her breathe. "Oh, wow."

It was a completely refurbished cinema, complete with mirrored ceilings, glass chandeliers, old movie posters and plush red carpet. There was old-fashioned popcorn, glass booths where the tickets were sold and -

"Dan,"

"Yes Blair," he said, amused

"Why are there only Audrey Hepburn movie posters?"

"Well Blair, this is kind of a Audrey Hepburn cinema."

"Oh, wow." she breathed again, "Can we watch a movie? Please?"

He laughed again. "Well Blair, that's kind of the reason I brought you here."

Blair thought she felt herself fall a tiny bit out of love with Chuck, and a tiny bit in love with Dan.

–

They walked out of the cinema 7 hours later, Dan slumped exaggeratedly over Blair's shoulder.

"I can't make it home," he cried dramatically and she laughed. Dan was growing used to her laughing, and Blair was surprised at how easy it was.

"Oh shush, you're such a drama queen!"

"Me! A drama queen!" Dan clutched his hands to his chest and Blair laughed again

"We were only in there for," she grabbed his wrist and looked at his watch, ".. seven hours. Oh. Sorry!"

Dan chuckled, "It's okay, I really enjoyed myself. I didn't know she'd been in so many movies!"

"That place was amazing. You have to take me back there!"

"And who was the one who sounded _so_ disgusted to go in there?"

Blair blushed. "Yeah, sorry. Guess you can't judge a book by its cover right?"

"Took the words right out my mouth Waldorf."

"So, where's the best place to get dinner? My treat?"

"Well there's this nice little ramen noodle place around the corner..." he suggested teasingly and she giggled.

"Oh give it a rest! Besides, you love my ramen noodles. How could you eat them out when I could just make them for you back home?" He kind of loved how she referred to the loft as 'home'.

"Hey?" she interrupted his thoughts by nudging him with her shoulder and he stumbled, before bending over, laughing at how horrified she looked that she had actually pushed him.

"Oh my God, Dan, I am so sorry!"

He looked up at her and she stopped apologising, somehow knowing what was about to happen. "Don't you dare, Dan Humphrey,"

He ignored her, launching forward and throwing her over his shoulder again. She screamed with laughed as he turned around in circles, spinning them.

His phone rang and he stopped spinning, leaving her over his shoulder as he picked it up.

"Hello?" he said smiling ignoring Blair's threats of what she was going to do to his Cabbage Patch doll if he didn't let her down soon.

"Hey Dan,"

"Oh, hey Vanessa. What's up?" He realised that he hadn't thought about Vanessa all day, and he suddenly felt immensely guilty.

"Not much. Can you come around now? Please?"

"Oh, I'm.." he paused, unsure how Vanessa would take it, " - I'm with Blair."

He heard her let out a breath. "That's okay. You can bring her with you."

"Um.. okay?"

"See you soon,"

He hung up. "How do you feel about visiting your dorm? You can pick up some of your cocktail dresses?"

"Well I'll go anywhere with you if you let me down," she said, almost spitting out the last three words. Dan had already learnt to ignore her anger, but he quickly put her down never-the-less.

"That's my girl," he laughed.

"We're catching a cab, right?"

"Yes Blair, we will catch a cab," he grinned, hailing one as she breathed 'thank god', under her breath.

–

"Hey Vanessa," he said, entering the room.

"Hey," she blinked as Blair Waldorf stepped from behind her boyfriend wearing jeans, flat shoes, a tank-top and a _beanie. _What on earth had happened to the world? Blair Waldorf looking innocent?

"I'll just be grabbing my stuff," the-girl-that-looked-like-Blair-but-wasn't offered, "Take your time,"

Dan smiled at her as she left the room, and left the door open (Vanessa was sure it was just in case something happened to Blair) as he walked towards the bed, "What's up?"

"Scott texted me,"

"Scott? Oh! Oh.. my brother Scott?"

She nodded.

"What did he say?"

She handed him her phone silently;

_Vanessa -  
I'm coming back to New York.  
__Not for Rufus or Lily. For you.  
I can't stop thinking about you.  
I thought I could forget you, but I can't.  
Please give me another chance.  
I love you,  
Scott_

"Oh wow," he breathed out. "What are you going to do?"

She didn't say anything, as he looked at her, his eyes searching hers as they filled with tears.

"Oh." he realised, "You love him too?" It wasn't accusatory, it was as though they were friends again.

"Dan, I'm so sorry," She offered.

"V, it's okay," he smiled at her. She could see that he was hurt, but.. he really was okay with it, she realised. "You and I both know we were more friends-with-benefits then an actual couple. No offence."

"None taken," she laughed, tears spilling down her cheeks. "So back to normal, then?"

"Yeah, it'll be good to have us back Abrams. It was getting awkward, wasn't it?"

She nodded in agreement, and they both fell back onto her bed staring back at the ceiling, laughing at how stupid they had been.

They stayed like that for awhile in a comfortable silence, until Dan remembered Blair. He swore and sat up. "V, I have to go,"

"Blair?"

"Yeah. You know she's really nice when you get to know her."

"Maybe Scott and I can double date with you two?"

"Oh," he laughed, "It's nothing like that,"

She smiled at him knowingly as he throw a pillow at her, "Shut up Abrams,"

He hugged her goodbye, relieved that it wasn't awkward, and kissed her on the forehead like he used to when he was apologising for something. She closed her eyes, knowing that it was the last time he would do something as intimate as that to her, and smiled up at him.

"See ya," she offered.

"Yeah," he smiled back, "Brunch on Sunday?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Humphrey,"

–

"Ready to go?" he asked as he walked into the room.

She looked up at him and smiled, "Yeah, I was ready ages ago."

"I'm sorry," he apologised, "You could have come and got me, you know?"

"And interrupt you're sex-fest? I think not Humphrey, I prefer my eyes in my head and un-bleeding,"  
Dan laughed, "All you would have interrupted was us calling it quits,"

She breathed out, "Oh, are you okay?"

"Yup," he said, popping the 'p'. "It was for the best. She's in love with Scott and I'm.. well I wasn't in love with her,"

"Scott, as in you're brother Scott?"

"Yeah," he laughed, "Got everything?"

"Yup," she said, holding up a small duffel bag.

"That's not much," he commented, confused.

"Well I had to whittle it down a bit, because I don't think my bigger bag will fit on the subway,"

He raised his eyebrows, "The subway, huh? Are you sure?"

"No!" she exclaimed, her voice pitching, "I mean, I want to, so that it's like.. leaving behind old-Blair, but I mean, I am old-Blair still, I just want to.. also be new-Blair. I wan't to be both Blair's, but -"

He interrupted her: "Don't worry virgin, I'll talk you through it."

She swore at him, and he burst out laughing. "Apparently new-Blair swears like a pirate,"

–

"Oh my God. This is disgusting." Blair stood on the platform, clutching her designer duffel bag to her chest as though it would protect her from the other passengers.

"Oh, it's not too bad," Dan laughed, "Here, let's go buy tickets." He pulled her towards the ticket machine, but she dug her heels into the ground.

"Dan, I will ride on the Subway with you. I will live in Brooklyn with you. But I am not touching that.. thing." Dan had to agree. The ticket machine was all kinds of dirty, but someone had to do it.  
He sighed and walked off, leaving a very smug Blair waiting where she was.

"Okay, I've got us tickets. Ramen awaits us at home"

"Let's go then!" she laughed, grabbing his hand. He looked down at their hands, but she ignored him, suddenly unable to stop laughing at the entire situation. Neither of them saw the camera flash.

–

"Okay, I am so sick of ramen," she admitted as soon as the walked in the door. "Do you have anything else?"

"Um.." Dan rummaged through the pantry, "What's you're opinion on waffles?"

"That.. they are an important food group..?" she offered

"Perfect. I knew you'd fit in in Brooklyn," she grinned back at him, suddenly feeling as though that was actually a compliment, instead of an insult, and looked down to turn on her phone, not surprised when it buzzed automatically.

_B-  
Which friend? I'm glad you're feeling better then.  
- S_

_B-  
Call me when you feel up to it!  
- S  
_  
_B -  
Friend being the one on Gossip Girl?!  
I'm calling in 10!  
- S  
__  
_Blair started. "Hey Humphrey, can I borrow your laptop?" She had long ago unsubscribed to Gossip Girl updates being sent to her phone.

"Sure," he passed it to her and it wasn't long until she was watching her own face load on the screen.

It was a picture of her and Dan on the subway station, except if she didn't know, she wouldn't have been able to tell it was Dan. His face was ducked and his hair was hidden by the black hood of his jumper, but you could see that their hands were intertwined. But the most surprising thing about the picture was - Blair sucked in her breath - how happy she looked. She wasn't wearing any make up and her hair hadn't been done, but she looked prettier then she had for awhile. And it took a lot for Blair to admit that she looked pretty. She was in the middle of laughing, and her entire face was lit up, and she looked.. alive. More alive then she had in awhile.  
She read the heading (_Queen Bee – underground or on top of the world?_) and grinned, knowing that it was the latter.

"What is it?" Dan asked, curiously, and she turned the screen around.

"Huh," he took it in and looked up at her, "You look really happy,"

She smiled at him, "I am."

"Well," he coughed, breaking their gaze, "You're about to get a whole lot happier, because your dinner awaits, my Queen,"

She giggled, began eating her waffles, surprised at how good the frozen kind tasted to her. "Hey, Humphrey, these are pretty good,"

Her phone rang, and she smiled softly when she saw Serena had kept her word.

"Hey," she said, grinning as she heard the blonde on the other end scream.

"Oh my God! Blair! How are you! You look fantastic on Gossip Girl.. I'm so glad you're well,"

"Who is it," Dan asked, curious at who on the other end could be making so much noise.

"Oh my God! Is that the guy in the picture!"

Blair laughed out loud, "Yeah," she answered, "It's Serena," she said to Dan.

"I can't wait to meet him!"

"And you will. Eventually. I'm just getting away for awhile. Can you understand that?" she asked pleadingly.

"Of course I can, B. Can I still call you?"

"You better. Ever night!"

After she hung up, she let out a breath of air she hadn't known she'd been holding, and Dan turned to smile at her, checking that she was okay.

"I'm fine!" she laughed

"Oh, okay. Good then!" He grinned back, before flicking a handful of soap suds at her, laughing as she screamed.

A water fight soon followed

–

It wasn't long until they'd fallen into a routine. During the week he'd make them waffles for breakfast, they'd walk to collage together (or catch the subway depending on how late they were running), eat ramen noodles for lunch in Blair's dorm room (they both hated crowds) and then they would eat some form of take-away for dinner. They talked about everything under the sun, from cabbage patch dolls, to their respective families divorce, to Chuck. On the weekends they would explore Brooklyn, and Dan was constantly surprised how much he hadn't discovered yet. Blair amazed him daily, he found. He often found himself staring at her – usually when she was laughing – and just had his breath taken away. She was so different to how she had been all those weeks ago when he had first walked into her room. She still cried, of course, but much less frequently. She hadn't made herself throw up since she'd first moved in with him.

They often referred to themselves as 'best-friends', and Blair sometimes wondered how it had all happened so fast. Certain memories stood out – when she had first gone out in Brooklyn on her own, and Dan had been so worried – when Serena had called and Blair had defended her relationship with 'the-boy-from-gossip-girl' by calling him her best-friend, and Dan had stood thunderstruck until he admitted that he often referred to her as the same thing in his head. When she had worn her first pair of track pants and refused to take them off because they were so comfortable (Dan had to threatened to pull them off her) – when they had visited the Upper East Side to see if they were missing anything and returned after an hour (they realised they weren't missing anything at all) – when Blair had first stepped on the scale to find she had gained 10 pounds and Dan had told her that she had never looked more beautiful (they threw out the scales together the next day).  
Serena called every night, like she promised, and had quickly learnt not to ask too much about 'the-boy-from-gossip-girl'.

–

"Hey Blair?"

"Yes Serena," Blair answered teasingly

"You want to come out tonight? Please? Please? I haven't seen you in so long, and there's this thing on that the Archibald's have organised, and I really want to see you! Nate and I have missed you so much!"

Blair laughed. "Um.. I don't know Serena,"

"Please say yes. You can bring your friend! We're dying to meet you!"

"It's okay, I'll come. Can you come around to mine at about.. seven, and help me decide what to wear?"

Serena screamed again, "Yes! Oh my God, B, I am so excited to see you! "

"Will you bring him?"

Blair paused. Would Dan want to come? She didn't really want Serena to think that she had been seeing her ex-boyfriend behind her back. Honestly, she didn't want to share Dan with the rest of the world, just yet. She looked guiltily at his back.

"Not tonight"

"Aw, well I'll see you soon! Love you B!" Serena smiled into the phone.

"Love you too," she replied, still staring at Dan's back.

–

"Blair!"

Blair grinned, as Serena bounded into her bedroom and hugged her tightly. "I've missed you, so much!"

"Missed you too, S. Now, which one should I wear?" Her mind heavy with thoughts of what Dan would be doing back home (why did she refer to it as home?) without her, she mustered up enough enthusiasm to keep Serena happy.

"So, tell me about the friend on Gossip Girl!" Serena winked at her as she examined the two dresses on the bed and Blair smiled despite herself, unsure how to approach the topic.

"Well.. I did it again.. you know," she looked at Serena pointedly, and Serena stopped what she was doing to stare at her friend with sad eyes, "And I didn't want to call you and interrupt you and Nate -"  
Serena broke her off: "Don't be stupid, Blair! You can always call, we're you're best friends!"

"Mm, I know. But I couldn't call you, so I called.. well I called the only other person who knew."

"Chuck?" Serena gasped

"No," Blair laughed incredulously. "Been there, done that."

"Well who else knows then? I mean, I remembered I had to tell Dan once that thanksgiving.." she broke off as Blair looked down at her lap. "Oh my God!"

"Serena please listen to me!" Blair said urgently, desperate for Serena to know everything before she leapt to conclusions, "I was so out of it, I was about to call Chuck when I accidentally stopped on Dan's name, and I was so pathetic and lonely that I called him, and he came pretty much straight away even though he was with Vanessa -" she broke off, realising that he must have run most of the way, " - and he made me have a shower and combed my hair and made me wear jeans and a tank top – a tank top! - and then he gave me his scarf and beanie and we caught a cab to Brooklyn, and I learnt how to cook ramen noodles.. I really talked to him Serena, like deeper then I talked to my therapist, and I'm sorry I couldn't talk to you about it, but it was just so _easy_ to talk to him. And then I made him ramen noodles for breakfast and he took me to an Audrey Hepburn cinema and.. " She paused, " - I'm rambling. I'm sorry Serena, all you need to know is that.. Dan really helped me."

She broke off again when she saw Serena's shoulders shaking. "Oh S, I'm so sorry. I really am. I -"

"Blair, stop!" Serena said laughing, "I'm just trying to take it all in. Isn't it ironic though? I fall in love with your ex-boyfriend and you fall in love with mine?"

Blair started. "Oh S, you got it all wrong! I'm not in love.. with.. Dan.." she trailed off and Serena nodded knowledgeably.

"This one."

"Huh?" Blair was shaken out of her thoughts yet again

"I think you should wear this dress."

"Oh, okay. Are you sure? I think that dress would look better on you."

"Blair, I saw you looking at it. You love it. I know you've tried it on, so I know that you know it loves you too. That dress was made for you," Serena said, looking at her in the mirror. It only happened sometimes, but occasionally she was the wise one in her and Blair's friendship. This was one of those moments.

"S, what are you talking about?" Blair laughed as Serena shrugged innocently.

–

They walked into the party together, and Nate immediately was drawn to them (like a magnetic, Blair thought), kissing Serena softly.

"Hey stranger," he grinned at Blair, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Hey Nate," she laughed and he shot a startled look at Serena.

"I know, she laughs now. It's amazing," Serena chuckled as Blair slapped her arm playfully.

"Well you both look amazing. Blair, do you mind..?"

"Oh! No, go ahead. You two have fun! I'll go get a drink."

Serena grabbed her arm carefully. "Hey Blair?"

"Mmm?"

"I forgot to mention that Chuck will be here. I'm sorry."

Blair froze instinctively before realising that it was just her body that had frozen. Her heart beat remained steady. Her breathing wasn't irregular.

"I'm fine," she smiled at her best-friend until Serena allowed herself to be dragged away by Nate.

"You heard her right?" she asked him

"Yeah. She'll be fine."

"I know. I'm just amazed that it happened so fast."

"What?"

"She fell in love, again,"

–

Blair knew he was there before he said anything.

"Hello Blair,"

"Chuck," she nodded

"You look good,"

"Thanks," she turned to look at him, still amazed that she wasn't shaking.

"Have you thought about what I said?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "That we were magnetic. That you can't avoid me." he pressed.

"Oh. I have."

He took it as an invitation and moved closer to her, only hesitating when she stopped him with one hand. "Chuck, listen to me. I'm only going to say this once. Look at Serena and Nate. _They_ are unavoidable. _They _are magnetic. Not us. We never were, never will be."

"What?" he snarled, as she walked away.

He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. "Don't you feel this thing between you and me? It's called love, Blair."

"No," she answered simply, "I've felt love. It's nothing like this, Chuck."

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

She just shook off his arm and walked away, down the elevator, our the front door, walking faster and faster until she was running down the steps to the subway, ignoring the startled looks from other passengers.

"Come on," she tapped her fingers against her knee, willing the train to go faster. She must have seen it coming, she reasoned, as she run up the subway steps and along the cobblestone street expertly. She should have seen it coming. That she was falling in love with Dan Humphrey. That he was her magnet. She had answered Chuck so honestly, without thinking. Surely she wasn't so oblivious to her own feelings.

Apparently she was, she laughed inwardly as she pounded on his (their) loft door.

"Hey Blair," he said sleepily as he opened the door, "You're home early – whoa," he exclaimed as she launched herself into his arms.

"Are you okay?"

She looked up at him happily: "I saw Chuck," she said simply.

"Okay, you're going to have to explain that to me.."

"I saw Chuck and he told me that we were magnetic and that I was in love with him."

"And?" he pressed

"I told him the truth. That love doesn't feel anything like what I had with him."

Dan started down at her confused. It was as if she had just told him something extremely important, but it just didn't register.

"What?"

"I met someone who taught me what love was,"

"Oh." his heart sank and he mustered a smile. "That's fantastic Blair, I'm glad you're over Chuck"

"Do you want to know about them?"

"I'd love to hear all about them. What about I get us some ice-cream?"

He turned and walked into the kitchen, bending down to open the freezer. Blair watching him in amusement.

"He's the nicest, kindest person I've ever met," she grinned as he paused, knowing that he was listening to her intently. She sat on the kitchen bench, swinging her legs gleefully. "He's a bit weird though, not the normal type of guy I'd date. He likes Audrey Hepburn, which is convenient..and he listens to me - let's me cry on his shoulder - he has quite broad shoulder's, even though he's probably weaker then I am.."

Dan stood up, looking at he quizzically and Blair bent over to grab two spoons, avoiding his eyes. As she rummaged through the drawer, she continued. "He's not from my normal crowd either. He lives a bit out of town " she stroked her chin teasingly, " - he cares more about some stupid doll than sports. He's about 5"11, brown hair. Oh, He's a writer.. hmm, what else – mph!" she broke off as Dan crashed his lips to hers.

"Yes, what else?" he broke off panting, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Did I forget to mention I'm hopelessly in love with him?"

He kissed her hard again, "Yes, you might have forgotten to mention that."

She placed her arms on his shoulders and pulled him closer to the bench. "Well, then, Dan Humphrey, I am hopelessly in love with you,"

He leaned forward and kissed her softly, much more softly then she had ever been kissed before. "And for the record, Blair Waldorf," he paused to kissed her again " - I am hopelessly in love with you too."

They grinned at each other goofily until Dan broke the silence; "Cedric is not some stupid doll,"

"Oh shut up," Blair laughed, leaning forward and kissing him roughly.

_reviewreviewreviewreview._


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